Avalanche Forward Paul Stastny To Miss Remainder Of Season

Just minutes before the start of last night’s 2-1 loss to the Calgary Flames, the news broke that Colorado Avalanche forward Paul Stastny will miss the remainder of the season with a hairline stress fracture in his leg, the perfect cap on a season that has seen the most man-games lost due to injury in franchise history.

Stastny has suffered a down year, scoring only 57 points on the season (though he has scored 21 goals), far below his career point-per-game average. Though he will only miss five games before the season is over, the parallels between this year and 2008-2009 are now complete. That season, Stastny missed most of the season with a knee injury as Colorado suffered their worst season in franchise history — though the injuries helped them gain a top three draft pick, where they selected Matt Duchene.

With only four games remaining in the season, the Avalanche are essentially locked into a top three pick in the upcoming 2011 NHL Entry Draft this June.

Colorado Avalanche Recall Forward Mark Olver

The Colorado Avalanche have recalled forward Mark Olver from AHL Lake Erie to fill the roster spot vacated by the recently retired Peter Forsberg, according the Lake Erie Monsters

Olver has played sparingly for Colorado this season as an injury replacement, playing four games in October and tallying two assists. At Lake Erie, Olver has been superb, scoring 21 goals and 36 points in 52 games for the Monsters.

He is likely to start Wednesday night against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Avalanche Goalie Craig Anderson To Return To Team On Monday

On Thursday, it was reported that Colorado Avalanche goalie Craig Anderson had left the team for personal reasons with no further explanation. He will rejoin the team when they return to Denver for Monday's home game against the Calgary Flames, reports Adrian Dater of the Denver Post.

Anderson will miss only two games during his leave of absence. The Avalanche lost on Friday to the Columbus Blue Jackets, 3-1, in Peter Forsberg's return to the ice. They play the Nashville Predators on the road this evening. The Avalanche are losers in eight of their last nine games and are on a six-game losing streak. Anderson took the loss in six of the nine games, last winning on Jan. 18 against the Vancouver Canucks, 4-3 (OT).

Peter Budaj will start in Anderson's place tonight while John Grahame will back him up before being sent back to the minors soon.

Peter Forsberg To Play For Avalanche Against Blue Jackets On Friday

The Colorado Avalanche are in a deep hole at the moment, but hopefully the return of Peter Forsberg to the lineup will boost the Avalanche. Adrian Dater of the Denver Post reports that Forsberg will play with the Avalanche tonight in their game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The game starts at 5:00 p.m. MT in Columbus.

This will be Forsberg's first game since April 29, 2008, when the Avalanche lost 4-3 to the Detroit Red Wings in the Western Conference semi-finals. In nine regular season games that season, Forsberg scored one goal and assisted on 13 others.

The Avalanche are on a five-game losing streak and have lost seven of their last eight games. Will his return help the defense play better? Will goaltending issues be solved. Peter the Great certainly can't solve these issues alone, but stepping onto the ice is a step in the right direction to get this team right again.

Craig Anderson Leaves Avalanche On Road Trip, Returns To Denver

According to the Denver Post's Adrian Dater, Colorado Avalanche goalie Craig Anderson has left the team on the road and is back in Denver. This is being called a "personal leave of absence" as Anderson is not injured. On his Twitter page, Dater calls it a "minor personal matter" and "not a big deal." This is not a precursor to a trade. In a separate blog post, Dater offers some good advice, for the moment, that Anderson deserves some privacy in this matter.

Anderson's 2010-2011 season has been a disappointment following his 2009-2010 performance. Anderson is 13-15-3 with a 3.19 goals against average this season. He missed several weeks earlier in the season when he injured his knee. Anderson will be a free agent this offseason.

Peter Budaj will take over the starting goalie gig until Anderson returns. John Grahame has been recalled from the Lake Erie Monsters to serve as Budaj's backup.

Kyle Cumiskey, T.J. Galiardi Out Indefinitely; Forsberg May Play Against Columbus

The Denver Post’s Adrian Dater is reporting that defenseman Kyle Cumiskey and forward T.J. Galiardi will both miss significant time due to undisclosed injuries.

Cumiskey suffered another head injury in Wednesday’s 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Wild. He missed significant time this past fall while recovering from a concussion, and it appears that he has suffered a similar injury.

Galiardi will also miss significant time with an undisclosed wrist injury. Galiardi also missed over a month this fall with a similar injury, though it’s unclear at this time if the injury is to the same wrist.

Forward Peter Forsberg is likely to make his debut on Friday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets. He has been sorting through immigration and visa issues since signing a contract earlier this week.

Avalanche's David Jones Out Indefinitely; Ryan O'Reilly Could Return Soon

Yesterday, the Colorado Avalanche announced that winger David Jones will be out indefinitely following a shoulder injury suffered against the Phoenix Coyotes. Jones slipped while coming off the bench during the second period of that game last Wednesday.

Jones is third on the team in goals with 16 and has 28 points overall. He played in only 23 games last season due to a knee injury suffered in late November 2009.

The Avalanche, though, may see center Ryan O`Reilly return to the ice tonight. O'Reilly took a nasty spill into the boards in a Jan. 14 game against the Minnesota Wild. While it appeared to be a neck injury at first, it was later diagnosed as a shoulder injury. He returned to the ice several days later for practice, but after Monday's time on the rink has he looked ready to return to game action.

The Avalanche play the St. Louis Blues tonight, Tuesday, Feb. 1.

Fleischmann To Miss Remainder Of Season, Avalanche Call Up Galiardi

With last night’s news that forward Tomas Fleischmann will miss the remainder of the season with a pulmonary embolism, the Colorado Avalanche have recalled T.J. Galiardi from Lake Erie.

Galiardi only missed one game for Colorado, and may be bumped up to wing one of the top two lines.

Colorado Avalanche Call Up Ryan Stoa, Reassign TJ Galiardi To Lake Erie

In the wake of Ryan O’Reilly’s shoulder injury, suffered last week against the Minnesota WIld, the Colorado Avalanche have called up center Ryan Stoa from AHL Lake Erie. Stoa, a second round pick in 2005, will be given an opportunity to head O’Reilly’s former line in the two weeks he is expected to be unavailable.

Stoa was given a chance to make the Avalanche roster out of camp, but was reassigned before the start of the season. He has made the most of his opportunity in Lake Erie, scoring 28 points in 44 games for the Monsters and being a recent AHL All-Star selection, and will get another chance to stay with the NHL club.

T.J. Galiardi has been reassigned to make room for Stoa’s callup. Galiardi has recently returned to action from a wrist injury that sidelined him for over a month, and has not appeared to be the same physical presence he was before he went down. He gets an opportunity for more playing time in Lake Erie, and will have to earn another promotion.

Chris Stewart Returns To Lineup, Greg Mauldin Reassigned To Lake Erie

Colorado Avalanche forward Chris Stewart is set to make his return to the ice tonight after missing seven weeks with a broken pinky finger. Stewart was the leading scorer for Colorado before going down with the injury (suffered during a fight), and is still is sixth on the team in points scored despite missing significant time.

He will be playing on the top line with Paul Stastny and David Jones tonight against the Minnesota Wild.

To make space on the roster, forward Greg Mauldin was placed on waivers. He went unclaimed and will be reassigned to AHL Lake Erie. In case of another injury to a forward, expect Mauldin to receive the first callup. He thrived during his first extended NHL playing time (and at age 28), earning 10 points and scoring two shorthanded goals.

Jonas Holos Recalled From Lake Erie, Kevin Montgomery And David Van Der Gulik Reassigned

Kevin Montgomery’s first taste of the NHL was short-lived, as the 22-year-old defenseman is being sent back to AHL Lake Erie a day after being called up as an emergency replacement, according to the Denver Post.

Along with Montgomery, David Van Der Gulik will also be making the trip back to Lake Erie. Van Der Gulik has been recovering from a torn MCL for the past month. During his recovery, his time had been taken over by Greg Mauldin, who has nine points in 16 games while being tenacious on the penalty kill.

In place of Montgomery, rookie Jonas Holos has finally received another callup to the Avalanche roster. The Norwegian rookie had been sent down early in mid-November to receive more playing time, and is now getting a second chance due to Kyle Quincey’s dislocated shoulder, suffered against Washington on Dec. 11.

Kevin Montgomery Recalled From Lake Erie, Kyle Quincey Out With Shoulder Injury

Denver Post writer Adrian Dater is reporting that Avalanche defenseman Kyle Quincey is out for an indeterminate time with a shoulder injury he suffered after hitting the boards hard during the game against the Washington Capitals.

Lake Erie defenseman Kyle Montgomery has been called up in place of Quincey. The 22 year old defenseman lists as 6’2" and 188 pounds, and has played in 25 games for Lake Erie this season. He has one goal and 11 assists on the year.

Craig Anderson Activated, Bacashihua Reassigned To Lake Erie; Adam Foote To Play In Carolina

The Denver Post’s Adrian Dater has excellent news today, as top goaile Craig Anderson will be reactivated and will start in Carolina on Friday, December 3. Anderson has missed the past week after aggravating a groin injury against Vancouver, but appears to be completely healthy.

Goalie Jason Bacashihua will be sent back down to Lake Erie. He was called up to be emergency goalie, but his services were never required.

Defenseman and team captain Adam Foote also appears to be fully healthy after suffering a leg injury in the same Vancouver game. He will likely start on Friday against Carolina, with struggling defenseman Ryan Wilson the likely healthy scratch.

Avalanche Trade D Scott Hannan To Washington For Tomas Fleischmann

Adrian Dater is reporting that the Colorado Avalanche have traded veteran defenseman Scott Hannan to the Washington Capitals for forward Tomas Fleischmann.

Fleischman, 26, has played in all 23 games for Washington this season, with 4 goals and 6 assists. He tallied 51 points last season for the Capitals and adds depth at forward, something the Avalanche have desperately needed this season due to widespread injury. Fleischmann is under contract for $2.5 million this season, and will be an unrestricted free agent after the season ends.

While the trade for a forward is no surprise, the fact that Colorado has given up Scott Hannan does come as a surprise. Signed as a free agent in 2007, Hannan never quite lived up to his contract. His cap hit this season was $4.5 million, meaning Colorado was able to slice almost $2 million from their payroll this season, paying for the additions of Ryan O’Byrne and Matt Hunwick, both added through trade this season.

Read more at Mile High Hockey.

Avalanche Swap Defensemen, Trade Colby Cohen To Boston Bruins For Matt Hunwick

The Colorado Avalanche made a trade today, though with an unexpected team. They swapped defenseman Colby Cohen, currently with the AHL Lake Erie Monsters, to the Boston Bruins for defenseman Matt Hunwick.

Cohen, one of the finalists for the last defensive spot out of training camp, was called up for three NHL games at the beginning of November, and was sent down without tallying a point.

Hunwick has been a regular for the Bruins defense for the past three seasons since being drafted in 2004 (7th round), playing in 50+ games for the Bruins in the past two seasons. Though smaller than Cohen, listed at 5’11, Hunwick is a solid defensive player with decent offensive upside.

Boston clearly had to move Hunwick for salary cap purposes, as they have been against the cap ceiling all season and Hunwick was signed for $1.45 million this season.

Less clear is the Avalanche front office’s desire to move Cohen for another NHL-ready defenseman when they already have an excess of d-men on the roster. Furthermore, trading for an undersized defenseman just days after star forward Chris Stewart breaks his hand and while current defenseman Ryan Wilson has been struggling immensely also sends a mixed message. One thing appears certain: expect the front office to make another move before the Avalanche start their next road trip, as it's unlikely they travel to the South short at forward.

Read the reaction at Mile High Hockey here.

Avalanche Winger Chris Stewart Breaks Hand In Fight, Likely Out Until 2011

On Saturday night, the Colorado Avalanche’s Chris Stewart had a second-period fight with Kyle Brodziak and emerged victorious—well, until fans and the team learned Stewart broke his hand during it. He will be out for several weeks as he recovers from the injury.

This is a serious blow to the Avalanche, as Stewart led the team in goals (11) and was second in points (25). However, Stewart gained most of that in his hot October when he scored nine goals. He scored only two goals in the month of November. and hasn’t had one in the net since a Nov. 17 game against the San Jose Sharks.

As the Terry Frei suggests in the above article, Greg Mauldin will likely see an increase in his playing time to compensate for Stewart’s absence. He had three goals and four assists in nine games.

The Avalanche also lost left winger Daniel Winnik in the first period after he was hit with a puck in the knee. As of now, it’s called a “deep contusion” above his knee, according to the Denver Post article above.

Goalie Jason Bacashihua Recalled From Lake Erie

Goalie Jason Bacashihua, 28, has been recalled from AHL Lake Erie to back up Peter Budaj in the wake of Craig Anderson’s groin injury suffered in the second period of last night’s game against Vancouver.

Anderson had seen game action for less than a week before reaggravating the injury that sidelined him for almost a month. He is expected to miss only a week this time.

Bacashihua is unlikely to see game action, and will serve as an emergency backup to Peter Budaj.

Though Adam Foote also injured himself in the Vancouver game, there has been no reassignment from Lake Erie. Instead, defenseman Kyle Quincey — who has been a healthy scratch since returning from the injured list last week — is likely to dress and play against Edmonton on Thanksgiving.

Rookie Defenseman Jonas Holos Reassigned To Lake Erie

Rookie defenseman Jonas Holos, a surprise addition to the Avalanche roster out of training camp, has been sent down to AHL Lake Erie to make room for the return of Kyle Quincey, who has been recovering from a concussion.

Holos has played well in his opportunities, but there is simply not room on the current roster with more veteran players getting healthy. At Lake Erie, he will get consistent playing time, an important factor for his development. Holos had been a healthy scratch the past two games.

Holos has played in 12 games this season, with 2 assists on 19 shots.

Avalanche G John Grahame Reassigned to Lake Erie

The Lake Erie Monsters have announced that goalie John Grahame has been sent back to the AHL after three weeks with the Colorado Avalanche.

Grahame, the 35 year old veteran, was recalled to back up Peter Budaj after Craig Anderson was injured. With Budaj’s stellar play in net, however, Grahame was not able to play in a game.

This also signifies that Anderson is likely ready to return to game action relatively soon, perhaps early next week. For now, it’s likely that he will be the backup for Budaj for the next couple of games.

Avalanche Reassign Defensemen Liffiton And Cohen To Lake Erie

The Colorado Avalanche have reassigned defensemen David Liffiton and Colby Cohen to Lake Erie, as members of their veteran core return from injury.

With the return of team captain Adam Foote on Saturday, and the trade for former Montreal defenseman Ryan O’Byrne, the Avalanche were carrying too many defensemen on their roster, necessitating a change.

Rookie standouts Kevin Shattenkirk and Jonas Holos have performed admirably in their callups and have established their roles on the Avalanche roster for the remainder of the season, barring injury.

Liffiton and Cohen both played well in their brief time up from the AHL, with Cohen especially making an impact with his intensity and hustle. Expect Cohen to be the first player recalled in case of an injury to another defenseman.

Avalanche Recall Forward Greg Mauldin From Lake Erie

With the whirlwind of injuries still hitting the Colorado Avalanche, they have called up yet another player from their AHL affilliate from Cleveland, the Lake Erie Monsters.

Forward Greg Maudlin, drafted in the 7th round of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft by Columbus, will be available to play Friday, against the very team that drafted him. Injuries to T.J. Galiardi and David Van der Gulik necessitated another forward on the roster, and Mauldin has produced for Lake Erie this season, earning the callup over younger prospects such as Mark Olver and Ryan Stoa.

Mauldin is the leading scorer for Lake Erie this season, with 12 points in 14 games.

Colorado Avalanche Trade For Montreal Defenseman Ryan O'Byrne

The Denver Post’s Adrian Dater reports that the Colorado Avalanche have traded prospect Michael Bournival to the Montreal Canadiens for defenseman Ryan O’Byrne.

O’Byrne is a 26 year old defenseman from British Columbia. He has great size and will give an immediate boost to a shorthanded Avalanche defensive corp that has been decimated by injuries. Colorado only dressed six defensemen for their last game against the Calgary Flames, four of those defensemen had less than ten games of NHL experience.

Colorado Avalanche Lose Van Der Gulik, Galiardi To Injury

The Colorado Avalanche continue to lose players to injury at an astonishing rate. The latest to stay off the ice are Kyle Quincey (concussion), David Van Der Gulik and T.J. Galiardi. The latter two were injured during last night’s game. From Adrian Dater:

His [Galiardi’s] hand got jammed into the top of the dasher after a hit from Iginla. He left the ice in obvious pain. You have to hope it isn’t broken.

*Update: It is broken. He’s out indefinitely, and Van Der Gulik tore his MCL and out indefinitely.

Mile High Hockey breaks down how many player games the Avalanche have lost due to injury this season. No surprise the Avalanche are near the top.

Avalanche Recall D Colby Cohen And F Kevin Porter

The Colorado Avalanche continue to recall players from their AHL Lake Erie affiliate. Two days after defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk was recalled, the Avalanche have decided to add defenseman Colby Cohen and forward Kevin Porter to their roster.

Cohen was one of the last cuts in training camp and impressed with his solid positioning and offensive potential. He will be taking the place of Ryan WIlson, who suffered a leg injury earlier this week.

Porter was acquired from Phoenix, along with Peter Mueller, in the Wolski trade last spring. A former college standout, he will be expected to give the Avalanche some much needed fourth line depth and to rest some of their star forwards.

Report: Avalanche Goalie Craig Anderson Could Return In 1-2 Weeks

Adrian Dater of the Denver Post reports that Avalanche goalie Craig Anderson could return in 1-2 weeks. However, after coach Joe Sacco mentioned this, the statement was quickly retracted and returned to Anderson being out indefinitely.

Anderson suffered a right knee injury during warm-ups to the Oct. 26 game against the Vancouver Canucks. He was not scheduled to start that game. Peter Budaj was in the pipes that night and has been the starter since the injury. Including the night of the injury, Budaj has played in four games, which the Avalanche have split evenly.

The Avalanche host the Dallas Stars this Saturday at the Pepsi Center.

Report: Colorado Avalanche Recall Defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk

According to the AHL’s transaction history, the Colorado Avalanche recalled defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk today from Lake Erie. The 21-year-old defenseman was drafted by the Avalanche with the 14th selection in the 2007 draft’s first round. He made the move from the Boston University Terriers to the NHL’s minor leagues last season when he played three games for the Lake Erie Monster and assisted on two goals.

In 2010, Shattenkirk has played in 10 games, recorded no points and gained 10 penalty minutes. With Adam Foote and Kyle Cumiskey both out with concussion symptoms, the Avalanche needed a fresh defenseman on the team.

Shattenkirk hails from Greenwich, CT and has played for the United States in the World Junior Championship in 2009.

h/t Mile High Hockey

Anderson Will Not Require Surgery, John Grahame Called Up

Good news out of Colorado Avalanche camp earlier today, as Coach Joe Sacco confirmed goalie Craig Anderson will not undergo surgery on his right knee.

Anderson injured his knee during warmups before last night’s game against the Vancouver Canucks. It is not yet known how long he will be out.

Veteran goalie John Grahame has been called up from Lake Erie to back up Peter Budaj for the forseeable future.

Avalanche Goalie Craig Anderson Injured, Will Be Examined In Denver

As we saw yesterday, Colorado Avalanche goalie Craig Anderson suffered a right knee injury during pregame warmups. He will return to Denver instead of traveling to Calgary:

Anderson wasn’t going to make the trip with the Avalanche to Calgary, where Colorado will play the Flames on Thursday. Instead, Anderson was scheduled to return to Denver for additional examination today [Wednesday].

Either John Grahame or Jason Bacashihua will be recalled from the AHL affiliate Lake Erie Monsters.

Avalanche Recall Forward David Van Der Gulik

After sending Mark Olver to Lake Erie yesterday, the Colorado Avalanche have recalled forward David Van der Gulik.

From Mile High Hockey:

Van der Gulik is a smallish (5'10, 173) forward originally from Abbotsford, BC - the same town as smallish defenseman Kyle Cumiskey. Van der Gulik was originally drafted by the Calgary Flames in 2002 and was signed by the Avalanche this summer. And imagine this: he once played for Boston University, the unofficial farm team of the Avalanche.

Van der Gulik has 6 NHL games under his belt - all with the Flames - and he has 2 career assists. 

Colorado Avalanche Transactions: Mark Olver Sent To Lake Erie

Multiple sources are reporting that Avalanche rookie forward Mark Olver has been send down to Lake Erie. Olver was a surprise addition to the regular season roster, beating out heavy favorite Ryan Stoa for the final forward spot. Olver saw limited ice time, tallying two assists in 14 total minutes this season.

This move leaves Colorado with 12 forwards currently on their active roster.

No corresponding transaction has yet been reported.